Teachers file 4th impeachcomplaint against Aquino

A group of teachers will file an impeachment complaint today against President Benigno Aquino 3rd before the House Secretary-General’s office for allegedly perpetuating the congressional pork barrel system despite the Supreme Court (SC) decision declaring it as unconstitutional.

The complaint will bring to four the number of petitions to remove the President by law.

Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list over the weekend said the impeachment complaint wants Aquino ousted fo betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

“We have strong evidence to show that President Aquino is responsible for perpetuating congressional pork despite the Supreme Court prohibition,” Tinio added in a statement.

The lawmaker previously endorsed an impeachment complaint against Aquino filed by former congresssmen Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño.

The two accused Aquino also of betrayal of public trust for accepting the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which they said was lopsided in favor of the United States.

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and 27 other complainants filed the first impeachment suit against the President over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was also declared unconstitutional by the SC last month.

Youth groups led by Youth Act Now filed a second impeachment rap against Aquino, endorsed by Rep. Terry Ridon of Kabataan party-list, which also accused Aquino of betraying public trust and violating the Constitution over the DAP.

The impeachment complaints will be referred by the plenary to the justice committee today.

Malacañang on Sunday expressed confidence that the President will hurdle the impeachment complaints slapped against him by his critics, insisting that he has not done anything that would warrant his removal from office.

Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the President is more focused on doing his job rather than paying attention to the complaints against him.

“The President is not bothered by those [impeachment]proceedings because he is confident that he did not commit any impeachable offense,” Coloma told government-run dzRB radio.

He said it is up to the House of Representatives to determine if the complaints against the President will lead to an impeachment trial or not.

Coloma added that there is a process to be observed in connection with the impeachment complaints, and that they will respect whatever recommendation the House of Representatives would come up with, being a co-equal branch of the government.